


The Money Problem

by distant_rose



Series: Little Pirates [26]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Captain Swan Family, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Not longer canon as of tonight but ah well, Stuffed Toys, bratty children, daddy killian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 01:30:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12354633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/distant_rose/pseuds/distant_rose
Summary: It's normal for small children to get attached to a toy or a blanket. Killian thinks his children are a little too attached to theirs, especially his daughter who takes her stuffed doggie, which is curiously named Money, everywhere, including the beach.





	The Money Problem

**Author's Note:**

> In honor of Killian Jones being a canon father, I gave you Daddy!Killian goodness. Granted, this series is now officially a canon divergence, but frankly my dear, I don't give a damn because Season Seven is now officially a hot mess. Anyway, I haven't forgotten about my other unfinished works, but this one really grabbed me. I was inspired by a little girl crying on the tube because she lost her toy. Anyway, enjoy I guess. Questions, comments or concerns, you're always welcome to chat with me on tumblr via distant-rose.tumblr.com/ask.
> 
>  
> 
> Cheers!

In a convoluted way, Killian blamed Dave for this. Because really, if Dave hadn’t bought the blasted teddy bear for Harrison’s first birthday then he probably wouldn’t have to deal with his children and their obsession with their “specials."

Yes, his children had “specials”; objects that they wrapped themselves around and refused to let go of whether it be to go out for a family dinner at Granny’s or to attend a wedding. Both Emma and Snow had assured them that “specials” were quite normal but it still sometimes worried him. 

Ever since Harrison had laid eyes on that bear, he had formed an attachment to it; refusing to sleep without it. It had led to many a phone call on date night where Dave or Snow would tell them that they had forgotten Harrison’s beloved bear and had stopped over the house to find it to no avail. (And naturally Killian would find the blasted thing under Harrison's toddler bed not even five seconds after looking.) The stuffed menace even had a name, a creative label that only a two-year old could come with - Ducky Cookie. (Killian was still trying to figure out how Harrison had come up with that beauty.)

While Harrison was enamored with Ducky Cookie, Wes had Blankie. Like his brother, he had received a teddy bear from his grandfather but he set it aside to cuddle up with a fuzzy blue blanket covered in anchors that Emma had bought him off the discount rack at the local children’s store. Wes didn’t seem to care that the bloody thing had only cost four dollars; he only cared that his parents swaddled him in it at every waking moment. 

This, of course, led to Beth, who was the most attached to her “special”, which was a stuffed dog which had an even more bizarre name than Ducky Cookie or Blankie. Beth’s little companion was named Money. Why the dog was named Money, Killian couldn’t quite say but Emma blamed him for it. Regardless of its chosen moniker, Money was a pain in Killian’s ass. Where Harrison and Wes were a bit more reasonable about leaving their beloved items behind, Beth brought Money everywhere and whenever Emma or Killian suggested that they leave the dog behind, she would pitch a Hurricane Elizabeth worthy tantrum.   

Killian’s current predicament only highlighted this.

In a fit of tiredness, he and his wife had decided to take their three small children on a much-needed vacation. Killian’s definition of vacation had been to take the Jolly on a week’s long sail. Emma had vetoed this and decided that they should rent a beach house on a small vacation island called Martha’s Vineyard, citing a need for some normalcy. What she meant by that, Killian had no idea, but had wisely given into his wife’s plans. They had just arrived on the island and had been told by a cleaning crew that the house wouldn’t be ready until late afternoon. Instead of ridding themselves of their luggage, they had decided to hit the beach. While Harrison and Wes had wisely left their beloved “specials” in the can, Beth was being a bit more difficult about leaving Money behind. 

“I think you should leave your doggie in the car, Little Beth,” Killian told her in a low voice as he unstrapped her from her car seat. 

Beth, cranky from their car ride, glared at him and wrapped her tiny arms around her beloved toy in response.

“No,” she said in a voice that held a sense of toddler-grade finality.

“But you don’t want him getting all dirty, do you love?” Killian asked in a cajoling voice, smoothing his hand cross the crown of her head in hopes of managing the riot of dark curls. She looked like she hadn’t seen a brush in days. 

“No,” she repeated, still hugging the toy close to her chest. 

Killian sighed and made a move to take it away from her. Beth promptly squirmed away from him. Her face turned a violent shade of red that heralded the start of a huge tantrum. Not wanting to risk the start of a meltdown of epic proportions, Killian backed away with his hands up and turned to his wife. Emma was riffling through all the junk in the back of their car to get their beach things. As she pulled out a huge bag of toys, a kiddie pool, two boogie boards and a cooler, Killian suddenly missed the simple days when it was just him, his wife and Henry; there wasn’t a need for all of this nonsense then.

“Love, I need a little help,” Killian said after a moment.

“I’m a bit busy here, babe,” Emma responded absently, pulling out a pair of kid sized beach chairs and turning to their sons. “You think you boys can carry this on your own?” 

Harrison nodded, taking both chairs from his mother and turning to hand one to his younger brother. Wes frowned and crossed his arms across his chest.

“I don’t wanna,” he said, shaking his head for emphasis.

Emma sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Westley, I don’t care if you want to or not. You are going to carry that chair or else it’s going to take forever to get all this stuff up to the beach.”

“Har can do it,” Wes said stubbornly.

“Har is going to carry his chair and you’re going to carry yours. The decision is final. Keep this up and I don’t let you go in the water with Daddy,” Emma responded, narrowing her eyes at him.

Wes, who had been a vigorous swimmer since he had started swimming lessons, gaped at his mother for a moment before begrudgingly taking a chair from Harrison. Killian couldn’t help but be impressed. 

“Swan, if you have a moment, our daughter needs a little convincing to leave her special doggie behind,” Killian said, giving her a hopeful look. 

Emma sighed again before turning to her husband. 

“You take over this. I will take over negotiations with Her Highness. Just a heads up, the umbrella is really deep in there and might take some maneuvering,” Emma replied with a hint of frustration in her voice.

Killian blinked at her. 

“Are you sure we need all of this stuff? It seems a bit excessive…” Killian said, gesturing to the kiddie pool, bag of toys, cooler, boogie boards and assortment of chairs.

Emma crossed her arms across her chest and gave him a glare that looked eerily similar to the one that their daughter had just given him. Killian gave his wife the same response that he gave his daughter; he placed his hands up in the air in surrender. It wasn’t worth the argument despite the pain in the ass it would be to carry all of this junk up to the beach along with finding the perfect spot. He never missed his stepson more than he did now.

Emma strode over to the car door to confront their daughter while Killian made his way over to the trunk, which was overflowing with suitcases, pillows, food and beach gear. The umbrella was wedged under a pile of heavy looking suitcases. 

“It looks like Jenga,” Harrison commented, tilting his head to the side.

“Pardon?” Killian frowned at his eldest.

“Jenga. Henry always plays it with me,” Harrison replied. “You have move pieces around without everything falling down…I’m bad at it.”

“I’m sure you’ll get better,” Killian responded reassuringly, ruffling Harrison’s dark hair and surveying the precarious landscape of the car.

He leaned forward and grabbed the end of the umbrella, giving it a testing tug. It slid forward a little bit before the suitcases on top did as well. He stopped, not wanting to cause an avalanche. He sighed and turned to his sons.

“This is why I wanted to go sailing instead,” he told them in exasperation. “You lot are a lot of work sometimes.”

Wes gave him an unimpressed look that made him look older than his near six-years of life. (It still shocked the hell out of him that his youngest son was turning six in September. Where had the time gone?)  

“Should have thought about that before you decided to have kids. Not my fault,” Wes replied with a shrug.  

Killian opened his mouth to reply that out of the three of them, only Wes himself was planned, but quickly shut his mouth when he remembered his audience. He should probably wait until they were well into their teenage years before dropping that kind of psychological damage onto their laps. (Not that Killian necessarily regretted his children. They were quite lovely when they weren’t being difficult, which was a bit too frequently for his tastes.)

“Elizabeth…” Emma’s voice sounded over the luggage. 

“No!” Beth replied and there was a thud that followed. Killian could only assume that his daughter had kicked the seat in front of her. She had a habit of doing that when she was mad.

“You are leaving Money behind!” Emma declared. It was clear that she was losing patience.

“No!” Beth did not seem to care her mother was nearing the end of her rope.

There was movement from the seats in front of him, but Killian couldn’t see what was happening through the mountain of suitcases, however, he could only assume that Emma was trying to wrestle away the dog as Beth let out an ear-piercing shriek. Killian cringed, ducking his head.

“Make her stop! Make her stop!” Harrison pleased, placing his hands over his ears. Wes followed suit, giving Killian a miserable look.

Over the shrieking, Killian heard his wife let out a loud huff and watchad she stomped away from their daughter’s car seat, looking furious.

“If she wants the dog, she can have the dog,” Emma stated in annoyance. “But that thing is going to get disgusting and let’s see how she likes it when I have to take it away later to put it through the wash.” 

Emma marched back towards Killian, glancing between her husband and the umbrella still lodged in the trunk of the car. She let out another impatient huff.

“You really couldn’t handle one umbrella?” she asked, arching her eyebrow.

“It’s pretty lodged in there, Swan,” he responded somewhat defensively. “Do you think we really need it?”

“Yes,” she hissed through clenched teeth. “Because you, Killian Jones, are horrible at putting on sunscreen and I’m not having my husband turning into a lobster on me.” 

She then cut her eyes to their sons. 

“And you two are lathering up! Don’t think I’m letting those pale bodies of yours even touch the water before you covered in sunblock! I mean it, Westley Graham Jones!”

Wes looked a bit offended at being called out and Killian watched with some amusement as he moved his jaw side to side, much like Dave did when he was annoyed. He wondered for a moment if the move was learned or inherited. Perhaps a bit of both.

Beth had obviously hopped down from her car seat because before Killian knew she was curling a hand around his leg and looking up at him with big green eyes while holding her dog possessively against her chest.

“Carry me?” she asked with a pout.

 Killian shook his head.

“Sorry, Minnow. Daddy has to carry your toys and the cooler. You’re going to have to walk,” Killian replied with a sigh.

“Elizabeth, you’re walking,” Emma stated in a tone that brokered no arguments as she pulled the umbrella out from under the suitcases and gave Killian a look of triumph. “And you’re carrying your chair.” 

Beth pouted, looking between her parents before focusing all of her energy on Killian. Her lip began to tremble a bit, signaling she was on the verge on crying. Killian’s eyes back to his wife, who was rolling hers.

“Spare the crocodile tears, kid,” Emma snapped. “Daddy might be a marshmallow for them, but I’m not. You already got your dog. You’re not getting anything else.”

It wasn’t long before they were all hauling beach equipment up the sandy dunes.  The beach was already crowded with people and it took them a good ten minutes to find a good spot to make camp and even longer time to sort out the beach blankets, fold out all the chairs and fill the kiddie pool, which they had brought for the kids to play in without too much supervision. The waves were relatively high for small children to be playing and knowing their kids, Killian just knew one of them was going to try to sneak in water. He still had nightmares about the time Wes had done exactly that and nearly got pulled under by the riptide.

“Dad! Dad! Dad!” Wes yanked on Killian’s arm none too gently, nearly dislodging it. “Can we go into the water? Can we?” 

“Did you put on sunscreen?” Killian asked, arching an eyebrow. 

Wes immediately frowned at the question, signaling that the answer was certainly a no. Killian sighed and pulled out a bottle of sunscreen and handed it to the boy.

“Put this on and then we’ll talk,” he said firmly.

He immediately turned to his wife who was riffling through the cooler to get Beth a juice box. The little girl in question was sitting in her beach chair, wearing Emma’s sunglasses and pretending to read her brothers’ Spider-Man comics while rubbing her thumb rhythmically over Money’s black ear. He couldn’t help but grin at her.

“What do you think, Swan?” he asked Emma quietly. “Does the water look too rough to you?” 

Emma looked up from the cooler and surveyed the waves crashing on the shoreline with a small frown before glancing up at her husband.

“They’re a little big, but I think they should be okay as long as they’re with you. Just make sure that Harrison works on that doggy paddle of his. He honestly sucks at it,” Emma replied with a sigh before handing a Kool Aid pouch to Beth.

“Aye, the boy swims like a jellyfish,” Killian agreed with a chuckle.

Beth took the juice without looking up from Spider-Man, slurping on it contently. Emma coughed and looked at her pointedly.

“Excuse me, Your Highness, what do we say when people do things for you?” Emma asked, obviously still annoyed with their daughter’s behavior.

“Thank you,” Beth mumbled, a small blush painting over her cherub cheeks.

“Good girl,” Emma remarked before looking back at Killian. “If you want to take the boys in, just make sure they put on sunscreen. You’re a big boy and I can’t make you do anything except maybe slather you in aloe vera later when you complain but them, no sunscreen, no water. Those are the rules.”

Wes tossed the sunscreen unceremoniously into the sand and gave his father an impatient look that was completely ruined by the patches of white glob that had been haphazardly rubbed onto his face.

“Can we go in now?” he asked, wriggling in place. 

Killian let out a heavy sigh and pulled his youngest son over so he rubbed in the excess sunscreen.  

“This is sloppy work, lad,” Killian remarked as he swiped at Wes’s cheek. “I know you don’t like it, but if you don’t do it right, it’s just going wash off and you’ll be left with burnt shoulders.” 

“Sunburns aren’t that bad,” Wes shrugged.

“But melanoma is,” Emma countered.

Wes blinked in confused

“What’s melanoma?”

“It’s cancer and take my word for it, it really sucks,” Emma responded before looking around and frowning.

 “Where’s Harrison?”

“He’s already down by the water, making sure that Jaws isn’t out there,” Wes replied.

“Jaws?” Emma blinked. “How does Harrison know about Jaws?”

“Henry showed him a movie about it. I wasn’t allowed to watch, but I know it’s about a big, big, big shark that eats people,” Wes replied, spreading his arms in emphasis. “You’ve seen Jaws, right Dad?”

“I’ve seen the film, aye,” Killian replied. “But it’s hardly something I would call accurate. You have nothing to worry about, lad. He isn’t real.”

“Are you sure?” Wes asked, sounding uncertain.

“Jaws isn’t real,” Emma confirmed. “And Henry shouldn’t be letting you or Harrison watch films like that. You're too young for scary stuff.” 

When Killian had finished rubbing in all of the sunscreen and Emma had given her final approval, he walked his son down to the water, which his other son was looking out at the water apprehensively. 

“Jaws isn’t real. Mom said so,” Wes said to his older brother bluntly. 

“But sharks are real,” Harrison replied before looking up at Killian with almost solemn green eyes. “And there are sharks out there, aren’t there Dad?” 

Killian sighed, debating how to approach the subject of sharks without scaring off his eldest son. He didn’t want him to be afraid of the water, but he didn’t want to lie either. 

“The likelihood of us running into a shark is very small,” Killian said after a moment. “And if we do, I’ll protect you. I promise.” 

 

Harrison looked back and forth between his father’s face and the ocean in front of them before giving his father a tentative nod.

“Okay.”

“That’s a lad.” Killian grinned.

Harrison hooked his arm around his father’s elbow, allowing Killian to pull them into the water. The three of them waded a few feet from the shore, playing a game of "up and under" as waves rolled in. They couldn’t have been in the ocean for more than fifteen minutes before Harrison complained about the amount of seaweed wrapping along his legs.

When Killian returned to shore, he was greeted with the sight of his three-year-old in the middle of one of her infamous Hurricane Elizabeth tantrums. She was shrieking on the top of her lungs, her face turned a blotchy red and she was kicking the sand every which way. Emma was trying to calm her down, looking both frustrated and embarrassed as neighboring strangers began to stare at them.

“HE TOOK MY MONEY! I WANT MONEY!” Beth shrieked. 

“Oh shit,” Killian muttered under his breath.

“You said a bad word,” Harrison said in scandalized tone. 

“Aye, and don’t you dare repeat it,” Killian replied absently as he practically dragged his sons back to their spot.

“I WANT MONEY! I WANT MONEY NOW!” Beth screamed again, sending an impressive amount of sand into the air.  

“What’s going on?” Killian asked his wife.

“Her special is missing and now she’s throwing a fit,” Emma replied, running her hands through her hair and looking completely stressed out. “We told her to leave it in the car and now it’s lost. Surprise, surprise.” 

“I WANT MONEY!” Beth yelled loudly, kicking the sand again. 

Killian turned to speak to her but caught the eye of a neighboring woman who was looking at him and his family with reproach. Immediately Killian realized how his daughter’s words must have sounded to the other parents around him who had no idea that she was referring to a stuffed animal rather than actual currency.

“It’s her stuffed doggie,” he said weakly. “Her dog is named Money. She’s not asking for actual money.”

The woman arched in eyebrow, looking at him in disbelief, but Killian didn’t really care whether she believed him or not. He was more concerned with Beth’s meltdown. 

Killian sighed and leaned down so he was eye-level with his screaming daughter. He placed his hand firmly on her shoulder. Beth jerked wildly under his grip, trying to get away.

“What’s going on, Elizabeth?” he asked her, trying to gentle his voice.

“HE TOOK MY MONEY!” Beth yelled back, not lowering her volume. Killian winced at the sound level.

“Who took your Money, love? You gotta let me know who so I can get him back,” Killian replied as patiently as he could. 

Beth responded by jerking up her arm and pointing at something behind Killian. He turned to look and saw a mangy-looking stray dog holding his daughter’s favored stuffed animal in its mouth and wagging his tail almost tauntingly.

“Daddy is going to go get your doggie, okay?” Killian said. “So, calm down and go sit with Mommy, Har and Wes, okay?”

As soon as Beth nodded, Killian got up and turned to face the dog that had stolen Money. It was watching him with a keen eye, as if it realized Killian’s mission. He did his best to approach the dog with calm, measured steps, not wanting to scare it off. 

“Hey boy…” Killian crooned slowly. “Hey boy…what do you got there? I don’t think that belongs to you…”

As soon as Killian was in grabbing distance, the dog took off like shot. Killian let out a loud, frustrated curse before breaking off into a sprint after it. Sand went flying as Killian chased it. The dog wasn’t necessarily fast, but people proved to be a challenge for Killian as they often didn’t seem to get the idea that he was in hot pursuit of a thief. Most of them stood stupidly as Killian nearly mowed them over.

The chase came to an end as the dog skidded into a beach volleyball game, slamming into one of the players. Not even paying the other man mind, Killian reached for the stuffed animal and tried to yank it from the dog’s mouth. 

“Let go!” Killian commanded, gripping Money’s body as tightly as he could.

The dog growled defiantly in response, not willing to let go of its prize. The stranger who had been knocked into seemed to realize what was happening and had grabbed onto the dog and was trying to pull it off of the stuffed animal as well.

Just as Killian thought he was succeeding there was a loud ripping noise and he fell backward, still holding onto Money. He looked down at the plush toy in alarm as he realized that one of its legs was still in the dog’s mouth. 

“Fuck,” Killian said, trying to survey the extent of the damage. 

“That’s just bad luck there,” the stranger said sympathetically, letting go of the dog. It took off like a shot, happy to get away from Killian.

“Beth is not going to be happy,” Killian murmured. 

“Who’s Beth?” The stranger asked. 

“My daughter,” Killian replied absently. “This her doggie.”

“Oh man. That’s rough,” the other man replied. “Maybe you could get her a new one?” 

“Doubtful,” Killian remarked, already turning to head back. “This was her special.”

Killian thumbed the rip in his daughter’s stuffed animal as he apprehensively made his way back to where his family was located. Money was in bad shape. He was covered in sand and dog slobber; his fake fur was more gray than white with patches of caked dirt and sand on it. Fluff was pouring out where the dog had ripped off its leg.  

When Beth saw him, her eyes were alight with hope. She got up from her beach chair, approaching him with a wide smile that faded when she took in Money’s missing limb.

“He’s hurt!” she cried, tears dripping at the corners of her eyes. “Money’s hurt! He’s gonna die, isn’t he Daddy?”

“Hey, hey, calm down,” Killian said gently, once more dropping to his knees onto the sand. He placed his blunted arm on her shoulder. “Daddy is going to make Money all better, okay? He’s going to make him all better. Do you believe me?”

Beth nodded her head vigorously. Tears still flooding her eyes.

“Then stop crying because Money is going to be okay.” 

Killian caught his wife’s eyes over Beth’s shoulder and he nodded his head towards the umbrella, silently signaling for her to back up their beach things. Emma let out a loud sigh before turning to the boys.

“Ready to check out the house?” she asked them.

 “Already?” Wes whined. “But we just got here!”

 “Well, we need to go because we’re having a bit of an…emergency,” Emma said a bit lamely as she began gathering things and tossing them thoughtlessly into their beach bag. 

Wes’s face scrunched in displeasure and his eyes immediately cut over to his sister.

 “This is your fault!” he hissed at her.

Killian opened his mouth to reproach him, but his eldest son beat him to the punch. Harrison leaned over and whacked his brother aside the head. 

“Don’t be mean! You were way worse when you thought you lost Blankie at that Red Sox game that Grandpa David brought us to,” Harrison commented.

“But that was Blankie!” Wes protested.

 “Yes, and this is Money,” Harrison countered. “He’s just as important to Beth as Blankie is to you and Ducky Cookie is to me.”

The rented house was only fifteen minutes from the beach, but they made it to the house in ten minutes as Emma broke more than a few speed limits on their way. A harassed looking elderly couple glared at them as they whipped by, but Emma paid them no mind.

Upon arriving at the house, Killian didn’t bother to even look around before searching through all the drawers for some needle and thread. He found his prize in the nightstand in the master bedroom and immediately snatched it.

“Swan, I’m going to need your help,” Killian called as he practically ran down the stairs.

Emma was sitting on the couch with their three children, running her fingers through Beth’s dark hair as they watched television. There were still tears in Beth’s eyes as she stroked Money’s dirty pelt. 

Emma looked up at him, noticed the bag of needles and spools in his hand and raised an eyebrow at him. Killian looked back at her with an eyebrow of his own. Emma merely pursed her lips at him before she nudged Beth’s shoulder.

“Hey, Daddy and I are going to fix Money now. Can we have him?” she asked gently.

“You can make him better?” Beth questioned with big eyes.

“We’re going to try,” Emma responded, slowly pulling the stuffed animal away from their daughter. “We’re going to do our best.”

“Be gentle with him. I don’t want him to feel any pain,” Beth responded, looking anxious.

 Emma merely nodded before standing up to join her husband. Killian motioned her to join him into the dining area. He sat down in one of the chairs before motioning for his wife to do the same.

 “I need you to hold our patient down while I sew him up,” Killian said, placing the sewing kit down on the table. 

“You know how to sew?” Emma asked incredulously.

Killian scoffed. 

“Any sailor worth his salt knows how to sew, Swan,” he remarked. “How else do you mend sails in the middle of a voyage? Or clothes for that matter? Not much spare cloth at sea.”

Emma didn’t respond, just placed Money on the table as Killian put the needle in his mouth before picking up the white thread and attending to threading it. He hadn’t sewn in a while and doing it one handed tended to be tricky.

“Do you want me to do it?” Emma asked softly after a few attempts.

“If you don’t mind, love,” Killian replied, taking the needle from his mouth and handing it to her along with the white thread.

He tried not to be frustrated with himself as Emma threaded the needle on her first try. Instead, he tried to focus on the task at hand - fixing his daughter’s special toy.

“We’re not going to be able to put him through the wash anymore, are we?” Emma asked quietly as Killian went to work.

 “Probably not,” Killian admitted. “He’s going to be a little…delicate after this. It might be best to go with spot cleaning after this. He’s quite filthy though.”

“That’s because she brings him everywhere,” Emma sighed. “He’s more traveled than Ducky Cookie and Blankie combined. I try to stop her from bringing him to daycare with her, but she’s sneaky. She gets that from you.”

Killian looked up from his task with raised eyebrows.

“Really? You’re going to push that one on me?” 

“Of course,” Emma replied, raising both eyebrows at him as if daring him to question her.  

Killian sighed, but said nothing as he returned to his primary focus. He kept the stitches as tight and neat as possible, which was a difficult thing, considering his one-handedness. When he was done, he surveyed his work with mixed emotions.

“I should have gotten the other leg back,” he muttered quietly. 

“Given the situation at hand, I think you did the best you could. At least you got most of him back. I don’t think the lack of leg is going to stop her from loving him,” Emma said gently.  

She leaned forward, took his hand in hers and gave it a squeeze. 

“Shall we return the patient to his rightful owner?” Killian asked quietly.

“Probably,” Emma chuckled. “I’m surprised that she hasn’t just barged in her to make sure he’s okay.”

When they returned to the living room, both parents were surprised to see Beth holding Harrison’s precious Ducky Cookie in her arms, her thumb rubbing over the bear’s ear in the same fashion she often did with her stuffed dog. Along with the teddy bear, Wes’s Blankie was draped over her shoulders. Both brothers were cuddled into her side, watching whatever cartoon was on the television screen. A smile graced Killian’s lips as he surveyed the scene. He never felt prouder of his boys than he did in this moment. 

Beth noticed them first, placing Ducky Cookie back into Harrison’s arms and allowing Blankie to fall from her shoulders as she slipped out from between Harrison and Wes and approached her parents cautiously.

Killian, for the third time that day, got down on his knees and placed Money gingerly in Beth’s hands. 

“He okay?” she asked quietly, her fingers tracing over Killian’s stitching job.

“Aside from being a three-legged dog instead of a four legged one? Yes, he’s going to live,” Killian replied with a tight smile. “He’s just a bit…he’s a bit like me now…”

Beth’s eyes flickered to Killian’s handless arm for a moment before looking down at her stuffed animal. She hugged it tighter to her chest.

“He’s even more special now then,” she declared, giving the dog a kiss on the head.

Killian swallowed thickly, not sure how to respond to such a statement. There were emotions flaring up inside him that he hadn’t expected. 

“You’re going to have to be more careful with him now,” Killian said gently, pushing back his own feelings. “He’s going to need you to be gentler with him. He can’t be dragged across all the realms anymore. He’s going to get tired and want to sleep more. Do you understand?”

Beth nodded, tucking Money under her chin and closing her eyes.

“Thank you, Daddy,” she said quietly as she rubbed her cheek against the top of Money’s head. “I love you.” 

Killian kissed the top of her head. 

“I love you too, Minnow.”


End file.
